The Word of God is
the only reference book we have directly from God. The Holy Spirit inspired
leaders and prophets to write the Old Testament. Likewise the apostles and
evangelists were under His inspiration as they wrote the New Testament. Only in
the Word can we find the truths about our great God. About the saving grace our
Savior has given us, what our Lord would have us do, and how He would have us
live.

*All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
so that the man ofGod may be thoroughly equipped for every good work2Ti
3:16-17 NIV+

*But
know this first of all, that no prophecy
of Scripture is a matter
of one's own interpretation, for
no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men
moved by the Holy Spiritspoke from God.2Pe 1:20-21 NASB+

Only through the
Holy Spirit can we spiritually understand the Word of God. We must humbly
submit to the Spirit, sincerely asking Him to make the Word come alive to us.
So we know the will of our God, so we will have the strength to follow it.†

*Therefore I make known to you that no one
speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lordexcept by the Holy Spirit.1Co 12:3 NKJV+

*But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.Jn 14:26 NIV+

Perfect truth is
in the Word, but not through human knowledge. We only receive the truth of the
Word when the Spirit unveils it to us. The Spirit can help us understand the
Word only when we have a change of attitude. When we completely relinquish our
human will, our human reason, our human intelligence, and allow the Spirit to
rule over our hearts and minds. The Spirit gives us all different gifts as we
come into the Spiritual Kingdom of God. We are given the ability to understand
what the Father wants us to know, when He wants us to know it, so we may do the
works here on earth He would have us do.

*But the natural man does not receive
the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned. 1Co
2:14 NKJV+

*for to one is given the word of wisdomthrough the Spirit, to
another the word of knowledgethrough the same Spirit,1Co 12:8 NKJV+

The Scriptures
were written over a long period of time, often many years after the events. The
Old Testament was written in Hebrew, the New Testament in Greek. Jesus talked
in Aramaic, and many of the early Christian commentaries were done in Latin.
Then all of these languages had to be translated into our everyday language.
But despite the language obstacles, despite the human imperfection of the
writers of the Bible, the Holy Spirit made the Bible the complete truth about
our God. Alive with all the knowledge we need to make us holy children of our
Father. Below are some disciplines that must be utilized to help us understand
and discuss the Scriptures. For without these disciplines we merely float
within our own human rational, never allowing the Spirit to reveal specific
truths in the Word to us.

*And
so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star risesin your
hearts;. 2Pe
1:19 NKJV+

*Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be
ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.2Ti 2:15 NASB+

We must avoid worldly beliefs changing the
Word.

We must not rely
on human intelligence to understand our God, as the liberal elite would have us
do. Our God choose us to be His children, our meager minds do not have the capacity to
find our God, explain what He desires us to do. Our intelligence is too
infinitesimally small to ever completely understand the physical world we live
in, to create better social values, or save this world from being destroyed.
Only our God is all powerful, is all knowing, and has the perfect plan for the
world, for all His children. And only when we follow the Word will we find this
perfect plan, be given the gifts and knowledge to do the part our Father has
chosen for us within this plan.††

* For
the word of the cross is foolishness to
those who are perishing, but to us who
are being saved it is the power of
God. For it is written, "I will destroy
the wisdom of the wise ,And the cleverness
of the clever I will set aside." Where is
the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 1Co
1:18-20 NASB+

*For this reason we also constantly thank
God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us,
you accepted itnot as the word of men, butforwhat it really is, the word of God, which also performsitswork in you who believe. 1Thess 2:13 NASB+

We must not be
swayed by the ideals, pressures, or pleasures of this world. We must avoid
becoming part of the pick and chose generation. Those who chose to follow only
the parts of the Bible which fits into their modern lifestyles, the political
correctness of this world. Completely ignoring or falsely reinterpreting any
passages from the Word which condemns their worldly lifestyle. We are not bound
by the world, by its political correctness, but by the spiritual correctness of
our God, and this is only found in His Word.

*But He said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it." Lk 11:28 NASB+

*But whoever keeps His word, truly the love
of God is perfected in him. By
this we know that we are in Him. 1Jn 2:5 NKJV+

We must make sure our beliefs are truths
from Godís Word.

The Spirit
continually reveals more truths to us in the Word. We must grow in the Word,
from mere infants being fed the milk of the Word, to adults being fed the meat
of the Word. The basic truths about our God, about our salvation through the
atoning grace of Jesus will never change, will be strengthened. Yet as we grow
in the Word, as the Spirit reveals more truths to us, the realty of our God
becomes greater and greater within our hearts. This reality will change
previous concepts we had about our God, as we continually grow in the Word. We
become better equipped to handle our everyday lives. We will be prepared to
handle the trials and tribulations we will face, as the time for the Lord to
return draws closer.

*For though by this time you ought to be
teachers, you have need again
for someone to teach you the elementary
principles of the oracles of God,
and you have come to need milk and not solid food. Heb 5:12 NASB+

*Sanctify
them byYourtruth.Your word is truth.Jn 17:17 NKJV+

We must not let incorrect congregational
beliefs, traditions, or doctrines keep us from the truth of the Word.

As the Spirit
reveals more truths to us in the Word, our true beliefs will be strengthened.
But some long held congregational beliefs, traditions and doctrines may be
shown to be inaccurate, or part of the Old Covenant
and needed no more. It is hard to grow in the Word when we study it with long
held concepts which are not true. Incorrect ideas change our focus on what the
Word is telling, keeping us from understanding the real truth.††††

*Jesus
answered and said to them, "Are
you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scripturesnor the power of God? Mk 12:24 NKJV+

*But
now Hehas obtained a more
excellent ministry, by as much as He
is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enactedon better promises.Heb 8:6 NASB+

Some
congregational leaders are slow to accept truths that have now been revealed to
them. These leaders accept many points of view to keep peace in their
congregations. As they try to keep the numbers up, and the financial stability
of their congregations solvent. And many of the congregational members make no
effort to read and study the Word. Accepting what they have been taught in the
past, accepting what their leaders tell them without ever reading or studying
the Word themselves. Searching out leaders who will say what they want to hear,
that which allows them to do as they please.

*As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here
and there by waves and carried about
by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow
up in all aspects into Him who is the head, evenChrist,Eph 4:14-15 NASB+

*For the time will come when men will not put up
with sound doctrine.
Instead, to suit their own desires,
they will gather around them a great
number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2Ti 4:3 NIV+

Yet we can only
learn about our Saviorís grace in the Word, and the more we learn, the more we
grow. Jesus told us the truth would set us free to become children of God. We
should diligently seek out the truth in Godís Word on our own, with others,
with a class that searches the truth regardless of where it leads. Never settle
for anything less.

*Then Jesus said to those Jews who
believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall
know the truth, and
the truth shall make
you free."†Jn 8:31-32

*But He answered and said, "It is
written, 'Man shall not liveby bread alone, but by every word that proceedsfrom the mouth of God.'"Matt 4:4 NKJV+

Here are some ideas we can use as we study Godís Word.

We should always ask for guidancefrom the Holy Spirit whenever we read
Scripture.

*While Peter was still
speaking these words, the Holy Spirit
came on all who heard the message. Ac 10:44 NIV+

*And take the
helmet of salvation, and the sword
of the Spirit, which is theword of God. Eph 6:17 NASB+

The spiritual context throughout Godís Word
must be considered to understand the truths our God would have us know. Our
Godís spiritual truths have always been, will always be. They created this
physical universe, they alone can explain all the mysteries of how it exists,
how we exist on it, and the purpose of our existence. Spiritual truths always
take precedent over everything else in determining the meaning in Godís Word.

Context means
keeping the intent and meaning of individual verses and concepts, from Genesis
to Revelations, consistent, in harmony, in agreement with each other. Godís
Word does not contradict itself. The true intent and predominant message
through out the Bible must be used to explain less clear passages. Always avoid
trying to make the Word contradict itself, instead try and make the Word remain
consistent with its spiritual meaning.

Spiritual truths
are only in the Word, have only the meaning that the Father intended for them
to have. Though many spiritual truths will remain a mystery to us, we must
accept that which is revealed to us, will be revealed to us, within the context
of Godís Holy Word.

*For this reason also,
since the day we heard of it,
we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge
of His willin all spiritual wisdom
and understanding,Col
1:9 NASB+

*for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is,through the living and enduring wordofGod. 1Pe 1:23 NASB+

The physical context within all of Godís
Word should be used to reveal the physical truths it contains. Spiritual truths
tell us what our God is going to do, physical truths tell us how He will
accomplish it within this physical world. Always try and avoid making the
physical context contradict itself, instead try to keep the meaning consistent
through out it.

A secondary
confirmation from legitimate Christian history, archaeology, astronomy, and
other sciences of the world can be used to help explain the physical truths of
the Word. But these confirmations are not needed to prove the truths of the
Word. The Word gives us the confirmation of our Godís truths, which is all we
will ever need.

*Rather, we have
renounced secret and shameful ways; we do
not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to
every man's conscience in the sight of God. 2Co 4:2 NIV+

*"Sanctify them in
the truth; Your word is truth. Jn 17:17 NASB+

The Father replaced the Old Covenant of ceremonial
laws with the New Covenant of grace.
Jesus made us a new creation, replacing the old with the new. The revelations
in the New Testament fulfill, replace, and take precedent over Old Testament
ceremonial laws.†††††

*In that He says, "A new covenant,"
He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is
ready to vanish away. Heb 8:13 NKJV+

*Therefore, if anyone isin Christ, he isa new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.2Co 5:17 NKJV+

Concepts, passages, single verses
of the Word cannot be explained without confirming verses in the Word.† Isolated verses by themselves can easily be
taken out of context and redefined by human reason. The Father has always
required 2 or 3 witnesses to establish the truth. Without other verses
confirming a single concept, single section or verse, we can not establish that
it is true. The more verses there are that agree with the meaning of a concept
or verse, the more confident we can be that we have the correct meaning.

*This is the third time I am coming to
you. Every
factisto be confirmedby
the testimonyof two orthree witnesses.2 Co 13:1 NASB+

*But if he hearthee not, take with thee one or two more,
that at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established.Matt
18:16 ASV

The Word of God should be used to interrupt
itself first. We must first let the Scripture define the meaning of
passages, verses, and words written in it. By how they are used, by how they
are used in other verses, by how they are used within the context of the Word.
Especially to the unique words which are found both in the Old Testament
culture times of the Jewish people. And the beginning times of the Christian
era in the New Testament. Then secondarily use the word definitions held by
society at that time to help determine the meaning of words within Scripture.
Providing these definitions keep the meaning, the context, consistent with the
rest of the Word.

Changing the
meanings of words is a quick easy way to change the meaning of Godís Word,
whether intentional or not. Be very careful of those who retranslate the
meaning of words in Scripture, especially without looking to how they were used
in other verses and sections. This includes those who reinterpret the meaning
of the original Hebrew and Greek words in the Scripture.† Many redefine words in the Bible to express
their own point of view, promote their own human beliefs.††††

*as
also in all his letters, speaking
in them of these things, in which are some
things hard to understand, which the untaught
and unstable distort, as they doalso the rest of the Scriptures, to their own
destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fallfrom your own steadfastness, 2Pe
3:16-17 NASB+

*which things we also
speak, not in words taught by human
wisdom, but in those taught by the
Spirit,interrupting spiritualthings
for spiritual men. 1Co 2:13 NASB+ using footnote

We must accept that which we do not
understand by faith, until
it is revealed to us. Always growing, always learning as the Spirit continually
reveals more truths to us. Always accepting these new truths, providing they
are in context with all of Godís Word. Consider, remember, the best potential
meanings until the complete truth is revealed.

As we grow in the
Word, we continually add, correct, and make clearer, the messages on our
website. Additions, Corrections

*because of the hope laid up for you in heaven , of which you previously
heard in the word of truth, the gospel †Col 1:5 NASB+

*When
He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of
God and for the testimony which they
held. Rev
6:9 NKJV+

Use different versions of the Word whenever possible to determine
its meaning. Once again we should remember our Father requires 2 or 3 witnesses
to establish the truth (see 5 above). We use New International Version (NIV),
the New King James Version (NKJV), and the New American Standard Version
(NASB), along with the two older versions, the King James Version (KJV) and the
very reliable American Standard Version (ASV). There are other good versions to
consider, including the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) and the English
Standard Version (ESV). Always read the footnotes and cross verse references in
the various versions. We also secondarily use the notes from the NIV study
Bible. These notes give us good insights, but there is also much which we do
not agree with.

Also use a computer to help search the Word if possible. A
computer enables us to analyze the Word as no other generation has ever been
able to do.† A word search computer
program allows us to quickly find the verse we want, other verses which are
relevant to it.† It is an easy way to
verify the way a word, a concept is used through out Scripture. These programs
allow us to look at our 5 different versions of the Bible at the same time to
compare verses. There are many computer programs available. We mainly use Bible
Explorer Premium Edition Volume 4.
Make sure any program you use has the 7 versions of the Bible listed above,
especially the NIV. We strive to look at Godís Word as it is, as the Spirit
reveals the truth to us, using verses from the Word as our reference guide. Not
using the commentatorsí, doctrinal, or language translation programs.

*"But as for you,
Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time;
many will go back and forth, and
knowledge will increase." Dan 12:4 NASB+

*And this I pray, that
your love may abound still more and more in
knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that
are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,†Phil 1:9-10 NKJV+

Godís Word should
be read and studied by all, instead of merely accepting what others say. The
Holy Spirit uses the very words of God to open our hearts and surrender our
will to Jesus Christ. We must also study Scripture with other believers to grow
as we discuss what a great God we have, what He would have us do. Yet Bible
classes which openly, rationally, and in love discuss the Word are hard to
find. We hope you find one, but if you need we will always be glad to discuss
anything in the Word with you. Email us at abidewithchrist@abidewithchrist.org

*For
the word of God is living and active and sharper than
any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both
joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions
of the heart. Heb 4:12 NASB+